Education & Career Trends: February 5, 2023
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Content Credit: Dr Milly Ganguly (Career Counsellor & Mentor at ICS Career GPS)
If one understands the difference between interior design and architecture in the context of buildings, one will also understand the difference between UI and UX design in relation to computer applications. While interior designers work toward the ‘looks’ of any construction – its colour schemes, wall design, furniture and materials to be used, architects are concerned with the construction of buildings in the light of structural and functional usability and aesthetic appeal. Considering the aesthetics aspect of it, architects are also concerned with interior design to some extent.
What is UI?
User Interface, often called UI, is the ‘interior design’ of an app. It determines what an app should ‘look like’, taking into account the factors of visual appeal and ease of accessibility. These include features like the positioning of buttons and button shapes, colour schemes for the app, width of lines, smartness and clarity of text, the attractiveness of animations and everything else which the user sees and interacts with while viewing an app.
What is UX?
User Experience, frequently referred to as UX, reflects the ‘architecture’ of an app or system. It deals with building the structure of the app, working out its functioning and to some extent, touching upon its aesthetics. It also includes setting up wireframes to retrieve feedback given by users in order to get a larger picture of how user-friendly the system is and how it can be developed further.
The term User Experience was coined by Donald Norman, in the early nineties, while he was working for Apple. He introduced this umbrella term to encompass all the experiences a user may have, while using a product or service, with respect to the design, graphics, handling and use of and also the user’s actions with, thoughts about and feelings for the particular product or service.
Thus, while UI designers give the app or a system an attractive look so that anyone looking at it would be tempted to download it and look deeper into it, UX designers work to hold the attention of app users throughout their app journey, by structuring it in such a way that it would be smooth in operation,
uncomplicated, give users a good feeling after going through it and also track user feedback and continually make space for the development of the app or system.
Ideally, both UI and UX designers work in collaboration with each other. As an example, during setting up the flow of an app, while the UX designer will decide where the buttons for ‘start’, ‘next’, ‘agree’, ‘undo’ etc. should appear, the UI designer will collaborate in deciding the size, shape and colour of the buttons, the font and style of selected words or phrases etc.
What do I have to do?
UX designers create the wireframe, the basic framework, of an app or system. It involves designing a logical pathway starting from the first step or page to the other in an app or a system, in such a way that makes sense to the users and holds their attention and curiosity. It also involves analysis of the responses, of the target group, to the app, identifying the trends exhibited by those responses, getting an idea of user requirements and consequently making relevant changes in the app’s wireframe logistics.
UI designers are concerned with developing the storyboard, a visual outline for an app, a website or a product, intended to convey its concepts, objectives and project plans to users and/or management. They focus on the attractiveness and ‘convenience in using’ of an app, website or product. Catering to the ‘appeal’ factor, they introduce self-suggestive buttons, drop-down options, and layout menus all in fonts and colours that are well-thought of, from the context of the users’ requirements. They conduct regular research on various social media platforms to test the user-friendliness of the app, website or product, analyse the results and make subsequent changes in its look, feel and intuitive capacity in relation to the wide range of customers it intends to cater to.
What should I study?
UX and UI are specialisations in design courses and in computer software and programming courses.
Students, having completed their 10+2 from a recognised board, with any subject combinations, across Humanities, Commerce and Science fields, are eligible to study UI/UX design courses.
The course includes the application of interaction design, information architecture and state-of-the-art design software to understand user experience and consequently design user interfaces using programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript etc.
A UI/UX designer is expected to have the know-how of software and programming languages, good visual communication as well as good communication and interpersonal skills and teamwork capabilities and an eye for detail along with smart time management.
There are UG, PG as well as Diploma courses in UI/UX design both online and offline. Degrees in related courses like digital marketing, graphic design, web design, media technology, digital media or design etc. will also be helpful.
What are the prospects?
The year 2020 saw a steep rise in the hiring of UX/UI Designers by organisations, owing to the sudden shift of attention of customers and users of brands to the online modus operandi.
According to a LinkedIn report, UX design has come up as one of the ‘top-five in-demand-skills’ and businesses will require to continually hone their UX styles to keep abreast with competitors.
According to a Product Design Hiring Report by InVision, a digital product design platform, the 2020’s saw 70% of people managers hiring more UI/UX designers than had been the practice earlier.
UI/UX designers, being aware of the fundamentals of UI and UX design are often specialists in user research, content design, interaction design, information architecture and other software. With some years of experience, UI/UX designers turn freelancers and do exceedingly well while working in collaboration with different organisations, catering to the requirements of the
latter’s projects.
Thus, in today’s social scenario, when the entire world has moved onto the digital platform, UI/UX designers are to be seen everywhere in public, private and non-profit organisations, ranging from multinational companies to small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. Education, health, media, marketing, manufacturing, banking and finance and every other sector of society today has shown an increasing demand for the expertise of UI/UX designers.
Information architect, content strategist, product analyst, user researcher, user tester, visual designers are some portfolios under which different UI/UX designers work.
Related career portfolios may be web developer, web designer, graphic designer, multimedia specialist, VFX artist etc.
Where should I study?
School of Design, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun
B.Des. in User Experience and Interaction Design (4year, full time)
Website: www.admissions.upes.ac.in
Pearl Academy, Bangalore/ New Delhi/ Mumbai
UG diploma and PG diploma in UX/UI Design (4year, full time)
Website: www.pearlacademy.com
Amity University, Noida
B.Des. and Certificate courses in UI/UX Design
Website: www.amity.edu
Chitkara School of Art and Design, Chandigarh
B.Des. and M.Des. in UI/UX Design
Website: www.chitkara.edu.in
LISAA School of Design, Bangalore
B.Sc. Programme in UI/UX (4year, full time)
Website: www.lisaabangalore.com
Avantika University, Ujjain
B.Des. and M.Des. Programmes in UI/UX Design
Website: www.avantikauniversity.edu.in
MIT Institute of Design, Pune
B.Des. Programme in UI/UX Design
Website: www.mitpune.com
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai
M.Sc. Programme in UI/UX Design
Website: www.hindustanuniv.ac.in
UX & UI Design School
Provides both online and offline courses in UX & UI design.
Website: www.designboatschool.in , buzz@designboat.in
Dezign School, New Delhi
Online course in UI/UX design
Website: hello@dezignschool.com
UI/UX Design Bootcamp
Nine-month, online sessions
Website: www.springboard.com
Interaction Design Foundation, Chennai
Online courses in UI/UX
Website: www.interaction-design.org
Aptech Computer Education, Andheri West, Mumbai
Certificate course in UI/UX design through blended learning
Website: www.aptech-education.com
Sxill, Chandigarh
UI/UX Sxill Pipeline (Certification) course
website: www.sxill.in , info@sxill.in
Frameboxx 2.0 Animation and Visual Effects F.C. Road, Pune
Certificate course in UI/UX Design
Website: www.fergusson.edu
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